jcindependent wrote:
The rumor stated above by HamiltonParkJC is indeed true:

Rue Viet plans to open in this location next month.

When I moved to JC, I really wanted to like Cafe Nia. It seemed cozy, affordable, and the sandwiches were well made. I was rooting for them.

But the hours were way off, and they were never opened when I needed them. The space in there was also awkward, and if there were more than two parties, they had no idea how to it fit more people comfortably. As someone mentioned, the staff was eh, all right. Not the warmest people. All this deterred me from actually caring about a place that seemed to care so little about itself too.

These were the same feelings I had about Bagua. Loved it the first time I went. But by the time I got home from work, they were already closed, and when I left for work in the morning they were not yet opened. Who did they want to serve?

Both these places had potential. Create a book club and meet there. Diversify your menu (as someone mentioned, no espresso or cookies at any of them). Host a poetry slam. Bagua could have set up a station at the Grove Plaza during the summer months with some refreshments.

None of these places raged against the dying of the light.

I agree that Basic is good. However, Basic is ALWAY for the hours they post. They do have espresso, and they do have a larger variety.

You don't have to offer dinner to survive as a restaurant. Basic is a good example of that, they only have breakfast and lunch food and they are still open. The food at Nia's was soooo much better. Who cares that they didn't have an espresso machine?! Their breakfast was cheap, prepared well and their regular coffee was good too. I didn't mind their hours, if you can't get your ass out of the house for brunch by 3pm that's your problem.
You don't have to offer dinner to survive as a restaurant. Basic is a good example of that, they only have breakfast and lunch food and they are still open. The food at Nia's was soooo much better. Who cares that they didn't have an espresso machine?! Their breakfast was cheap, prepared well and their regular coffee was good too. I didn't mind their hours, if you can't get your ass out of the house for brunch by 3pm that's your problem.
You don't have to offer dinner to survive as a restaurant. Basic is a good example of that, they only have breakfast and lunch food and they are still open. The food at Nia's was soooo much better. Who cares that they didn't have an espresso machine?! Their breakfast was cheap, prepared well and their regular coffee was good too. I didn't mind their hours, if you can't get your ass out of the house for brunch by 3pm that's your problem.

Damian wrote:
Cafe Nia was great, always great food. They made everything fresh on the spot. I have never been disappointed there. However their opening hours killed them. By closing at 3pm on weekends you are missing that late afternoon crowd. By closing by 5pm on weekdays you loose the after work eaters. By closing ah hoc for a week at a time a few times a year would not help sustain a consistency need to run a business.

I would eat there twice a week but frankly during the last 2 months of them being open you would show up and half the time it would be closed.

There is enough foot traffic in that area to keep a business going. Look at Madam Claudes, Abbeys, slightly off the beaten path (more so than Cafe Nia) but they make it work.

I hope Cafe Nia comes back or someone with a similar business model because it will work, maybe after a few tweaks but it will work.

It seems that the Downtown/Ward E restaurants are failing but the rest of the city is doing well. Rita & Joe's along with Just Sonny's and Renato's to name a few. Although Presto's on Sussex has been doing quite well all of these years. How is John's Pizzeria doing when I went in their I wasn't impressed and the wait staff seemed timid or unsure of dining precedures, and the pizza was room temperture and bland. I'd like to give them another shot their Times Square location is terrific.

2DogDoll wrote:
Lots of good restaurants have gone by the wayside in the past number of years. Madame Claude's is the exception and not the rule. And even MC's has cut down on its menu from when it first opened.

As long as JC continues to be a bedroom community for NYC, small business will always suffer. People "talk the talk but don't walk the walk" when it comes spending money in local restaurants and shops.

hero69 wrote:
I don't think there is enough foot traffic around Cafe Nia to sustain that business except on maybe saturday and sunday mornings.

2DogDoll wrote:
Lots of good restaurants have gone by the wayside in the past number of years. Madame Claude's is the exception and not the rule. And even MC's has cut down on its menu from when it first opened.

As long as JC continues to be a bedroom community for NYC, small business will always suffer. People "talk the talk but don't walk the walk" when it comes spending money in local restaurants and shops.

hero69 wrote:
I gladly spend money in Jersey City ....I think entrepreneurs have to appreciate that they are competing with Manhattan restaurants so who wants to talk 4 -6 long blocks for a meal. I want convenience so I frequent stuff near Grove PATH.